What modern-day heroes, real or fiction, does Beowulf remind you of?

Batman? Wonder Woman? Your Mom?

Beowulf in the 21st century

A hero who faces death in order to save a threatened community reminds me of soldiers, American soldiers in particular. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the United States military was deployed to Afghanistan to dismantle the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Just as Beowulf sailed overseas, the soldiers set off with the hopes of preventing any further attacks on the now tragedy-stricken Americans. Beowulf was none for being a mighty protector of men and that’s how America’s armed forces are viewed. Both heroes are armed, though with very different weapons.

Another character that Beowulf reminds me of is Katniss Everdeen from the book The Hunger Games. In this book, 16-year-old Katniss must fight to-the-death against 23 other competitors from 12 poverty-stricken districts. The winner of The Hunger Games, which turned out to be Katniss and an additional competitor, receives an abundant amount of food the rest of his/her life. With this reward, Katniss will without-a-doubt share her wealth with the people of her district. In common with Beowulf, Katniss must fight with weapons and rely on her shield (in this case, her dark and layered clothing) in order to survive. Beowulf fought two battles, one against Grendel and another against Grendel’s mother. Katniss fought hard to protect herself and had to kill three people doing so. Beowulf was much celebrated by the Danes, just as Katniss was celebrated by the people of District 12.